第955章

This done， the rest is easily accomplished. A well-led army corps marches along and tramples out the embers of the conflagration now kindling in the West， while religious toleration extinguishes the smoldering fires of popular insurrection. Henceforth， there is an end to civil war.[5] Regiments ready to act in harmony with the military commissions[6] purge the South and the valley of the Rh？ne；thenceforth， there are no more roving bands in the rural districts， while brigandage on a grand scale， constantly repressed， ceases， and after this， that on a small scale. No more chouans， chauffeurs， or barbets；[7] The mail-coach travels without a guard， and the highways are safe.[8] There is longer any class or category of citizens oppressed or excluded from the common law， the latest Jacobin decrees and the forced loan have been at once revoked： noble or plebeian， ecclesiastic or layman， rich or poor， former émigré or former terrorist， every man， whatever his past， his condition， or his opinions， now enjoys his private property and his legal rights； he has no longer to fear the violence of the opposite party； he may relay on the protection of the authorities，[9] and on the equity of the magistrates.[10] So long as he respects the law he can go to bed at night and sleep tranquilly with the certainty of awaking in freedom on the morrow， and with the certainty of doing as he pleases the entire day； with the privilege of working， buying， selling， thinking， amusing himself，[11] going and coming at his pleasure， and especially of going to mass or of staying away if he chooses. No more jacqueries either rural or urban， no more proscriptions or persecutions and legal or illegal spoliations， no more intestine and social wars waged with pikes or by decrees， no more conquests and confiscations made by Frenchmen against each other. With universal and unutterable relief people emerge from the barbarous and anarchical régime which reduced them to living from one day to another， and return to the pacific and regular régime which permits them to count on the morrow and make provision for it. After ten years of harassing subjection to the incoherent absolutism of unstable despotism， here， for the first time， they find a rational and stable government， or， at least， a reasonable， tolerable， and fixed degree of it. The First Consul is carrying out his declarations and he has declared that "The Revolution has ended."[12]

III. Return of the Emigrés.

Lasting effect of revolutionary laws. - Condition of the émigrés. -Progressive and final amnesty. -They return. - They recover a portion of their possessions. - Many of them enter the new hierarchy. -Indemnities for them incomplete.

The main thing now is to dress the severe wounds it has made and which are still bleeding， with as little torture as possible， for it has cut down to the quick， and its amputations， whether foolish or outrageous， have left sharp pains or mute suffering in the social organism.

One hundred and ninety-two thousand names have been inscribed on the list of émigrés[13] the terms of the law， every émigré is civilly dead， and his possessions have become the property of the Republic；"if he dared return to France， the same law condemned him to death；there could be no appeal， petition， or respite； it sufficed to prove identity and the squad of executioners was at once ordered out. Now， at the beginning of the Consulate， this murderous law is still in force； summary proceedings are always applicable，[14] and one hundred and forty-six thousand names still appear on the mortuary list. This constitutes a loss to France of 146，000 Frenchmen， and not those of the least importance - gentlemen， army and navy officers， members of parliaments， priests， prominent men of all classes， conscientious Catholics， liberals of 1789， Feuillantists of the Legislative assembly， and Constitutionalists of the years III and V. Worse still， through their poverty or hostility abroad， they are a discredit or even a danger for France， as formerly with the Protestants driven out of the country by Louis XIV.[15] - To these 146，000 exiled Frenchmen add 200，000 or 300，000 others， residents， but semi-proscribed：[16]

First， those nearly related and allied to each émigré， excluded by the law from "every legislative， administrative， municipal and judicial function，" and even deprived of the elective vote. Next， all former nobles or ennobled， deprived by the law of their status as Frenchmen and obliged to re-naturalize themselves according to the formalities.